THE WIRED ISSUE
Photograph submitted by Ben Atmore FAMILY TIES. Junior Ben Atmore poses for a photo with his family. “There are ways my family has influenced my thinking just because my parents come from difference backgrounds,” he said.
different influences on a person, that does not mean that one is more important than the other. “I have a really strong connection with both my parents in different ways. My dad and I have the same personality and are goofy with each other every time we see each other. My dad knows me better than I do and can always make me laugh. My mom, however, is different. She is the person that always has a smile on her face and I can count on her to make my day better,” Brunell said. “I think I share the closest bond to my Uncle Rob, who I enjoy talking to and joking around with,” Atmore said. “I connect to my grandpa because he is not afraid to talk about difficult or sensitive topics. I may not always agree with him, but he has influenced me a lot over my life,” Krasny said. Having fun with relatives brings with it different feelings and ideas about relatives and their opinions, but it helps bonds between people grow stronger.
Even when the connection does not feel like it is there or it is weaker than expected, it still affects the person just as much. “Whenever I feel disconnected from my family, it affects what I say and what I don’t. When I don’t feel connected to them, I don’t feel like myself and I feel sad and run down,” Brunell said. “Even though my dad is dead and his parents live in Michigan, I still connect with my dad’s side of the family very well through my cousins and by visiting my grandparents,” Krasny said. People are wired to connect and while connections (or the lack thereof) affect every person in different ways, they still affect them. Regardless if they are positive or negative, connections matter. They are important to people and should never be take lightly and they define people whether they realize it or not.
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